{"id":11117,"date":"2016-01-03T17:42:47","date_gmt":"2016-01-03T22:42:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/beginnersheart\/?p=11117"},"modified":"2016-01-03T17:42:47","modified_gmt":"2016-01-03T22:42:47","slug":"leftovers-lagniappe-and-a-happy-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/beginnersheart\/2016\/01\/leftovers-lagniappe-and-a-happy-life.html","title":{"rendered":"leftovers, lagniappe, and a happy life"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"the<\/a>
the author’s<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After big family get-togethers, most of us think of dishes. Me, I think of leftovers! Even after we send the holiday ham home w\/ a niece & nephew, even after to-go packages are made for a sister, there are TONS of food left.<\/p>\n

So today? Breakfast is a doppio con\u00a0<\/em>wanna<\/i>, homemade — two shots of espresso w\/ the new machine (it’s wonderful!) and leftover whipped cream. How great a breakfast is THAT?<\/p>\n

Somewhere, in the many writings of the Dalai Lama, is a phrase I’ve taken to heart:\u00a0Why would you disavow your happy\u00a0<\/em>life?<\/i> I’ve written about it before<\/a>, adding\u00a0that the Dalai Lama tells us that the purpose of life is happiness. A side note: the Dalai Lama adds that material happiness is only one form of happiness, and certainly not the most enduring!<\/p>\n

But as I do the dishes (piles!) after a wonderful evening with sisters, nephews, nieces, and a GRANDniece, celebrating the New Year, I wonder if leftovers aren’t a kind of material afterglow. Yes — I had authentic conversations w\/ my youngest niece, with her mother, my youngest sister. And yes, I’m so very glad that my youngest nephew is comfortable enough to go in to the other room & take a nap when he needs one. Not to mention how proud of their cooking abilities I am, or the (much more important!) wonderful people they’ve each become.<\/p>\n

\"the<\/a>
the author’s<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So whipped cream is just that: a tiny\u00a0lagniappe<\/em>, something totally bonus. It’s the equivalent of icing on the best of cakes. Like afternoon tea, in an odd way — icing the lemon chess pie I made instead of the usual pumpkin. My (many!) material blessings are so very wonderful, but they pale against healthy sons, a perfect DIL, a grandson who (at 2 1\/2!) tries to play his tiny guitar as he sings the ABCs. They take their tertiary (quaternary?) place behind my adorable beloved, my amazing sisters, my beautiful & talented nieces & nephews. Even my \u00fcber cool cat!<\/p>\n

Today, I wish you the afterglow of leftovers — the dollop of whipped cream that is your material life, next to all your most important priorities. I wish you afternoon tea in the warm winter sunlight. And the wisdom\u00a0not<\/em> to disavow your happy life.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After big family get-togethers, most of us think of dishes. Me, I think of leftovers! Even after we send the holiday ham home w\/ a niece & nephew, even after to-go packages are made for a sister, there are TONS of food left. So today? Breakfast is a doppio con\u00a0wanna, homemade — two shots of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":398,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[396],"tags":[11,1181,1187,262,1280],"class_list":["post-11117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-happiness","tag-beginners-heart","tag-britton-gildersleeve","tag-buddhism","tag-buddhist-blogs","tag-happiness"],"yoast_head":"\nleftovers, lagniappe, and a happy life - Beginner's Heart<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After big family get-togethers, most of us think of dishes. Me, I think of leftovers! 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